Alternate Paths
by AlwaysEachOther
Summary: After Rory's shock announcement, there are conversations to be had, and decisions to be made. Post revival fic with major spoilers, including the final four words.
1. Chapter 1

_So it's been years since I published a Gilmore Girls story, or even wrote one. I'm an insane fan of the show, so I was beyond excited for the revival. Without getting too into it, I loved the revival, but there were points I take issue with. I finished A Year In The Life at 2am, after watching all of them in a row. After taking most of the day to collect my thoughts, I sat down and wrote this, because I needed to add on to that ending for Rory, Logan and all of us shippers. This is only part one, since I wanted to save Rory and Logan's conversation for its own chapter. I hope you enjoy this._

/

" _Mom?"_

" _Yeah?"_

" _I'm pregnant."_

Numb. That's all she feels.

It's been almost three days since the wedding, three days since she sat in the gazebo with her mother and told her the hardest thing she'd ever had to say. In that three days she's opened and closed Logan's number on her phone countless times, hovering over the call button before stopping herself. She doesn't know what the right decision is, and she's pretty sure she's driving herself crazy.

A soft knock on her bedroom door pulls her from her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

The door pushes open, and Lorelai appears in the space. "Hey. I thought maybe you'd like some cocoa?" She asks softly.

She smiles and nods, taking the mug from her mother, who perches herself on the end of the bed.

Silence hangs between them.

"So …" Lorelai starts, unsure of where to go.

Rory just nods slowly.

"How are you feeling?" Lorelai asks cautiously.

Rory nods again. "Yeah, I feel okay."

"What about what's going on inside your head?"

She looks down at the bedspread below her, tracing the pattern with her fingertips. "I don't know."

It's Lorelai's turn to nod, as they fall back into silence.

"I'm sorry, Mom."

Lorelai's head jolts up from her mug. "What on earth are you sorry for?"

"I didn't mean to distract you from your wedding, dropping this big news on you so suddenly. I just couldn't keep it to myself any longer."

"Aw, hon, you know that you are always a priority. Please don't feel bad about this, you have absolutely no reason to." Lorelai reassures her.

"Yeah, but still. You and Luke finally got your wedding, and you had all of two days to celebrate, and now you're back here, having to deal with all my problems." She says, a hint of bitterness in her tone.

"Hey," Lorelai says firmly. "That is not true. You will always be my kid, so your problems are my problems. There is nothing that will change that. And Luke loves you too, he would never think badly of you."

"Did you tell him?" Rory asks

"No. I didn't think it was my news to tell, unless you want me to."

"Yeah." She says softly. She can't bear to think about Luke's face as she tells him she's pregnant. Or her grandmother's, for that matter. Oh man, there's a thought that needs to be left for another day.

Lorelai pats her leg gently. "Okay."

"So," Lorelai starts again, moving the conversation away. "I got an email from your dad today."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. He just said congratulations, and that he's happy for me, and that you apparently vetoed a unicorn as a wedding gift? Why on earth would you do that?"

Rory smiles.

"I didn't know you'd seen him recently."

"Yeah, I went the other day." She admits. "I wanted to make sure he didn't show up at the wedding or anything."

"You're right, he does have priors." Lorelai agrees. "But you went all that way just for that? I'm flattered, kid."

"No, I also wanted to ask him some stuff. You know, for the book."

"Stuff like what?" She asks curiously.

"Just stuff."

"Like what?" Lorelai persists.

Rory sighs. "I wanted to know how he felt about you raising me by yourself. I wanted to know why he didn't fight you on it, and if he regrets it now. I needed to know if it was the right decision."

Lorelai frowns slightly, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would you ask him … oh Rory."

Her face turns away from her mother, knowing she's realised and made the connection herself.

"Rory." Lorelai prompts, trying to get her to turn back to her.

When she does, her kid's eyes are filled with tears, which is enough to make her chest clench.

"Aw, hon …" She scoots closer, wrapping her arms around her grown daughter, wishing she had stayed little for just a bit longer. Back when her biggest problem was studying for a test, or deciding what to wear for a date.

As soon as her mother's arms close around her, she's sobbing into her neck.

"Shh, Rory, it's okay."

"No it's not." She cries. "I've screwed up so much this last year. I've done everything wrong."

"That's okay."

"No it isn't! I slept with Logan even though I knew about his fiancée, I screwed with Paul's head and I was so cruel to him, I've failed at journalism, and now I'm about to have a baby! I've done so many stupid things that I don't even recognise my own life anymore."

"No, Rory, I want you to listen to me." Lorelai says, waiting until her daughter lifts her head to look at her. "Maybe you've made some mistakes this last year. Everyone does. It's just part of life; we screw up, and move on. None of those mistakes matter so much as what you're going to do about it now."

"I know. That's why I went to see Dad. I needed to know how he felt about you raising me alone, so I can decide what to do about Logan."

"Alright, well there's a mistake right there, because I'll tell you right now kid, you are not me, and Logan is not Christopher." Lorelai says, all matter of fact.

"But –"

"But nothing, Rory. Your dad was speaking in terms of he and I, and that does not mean that it's the same situation for you."

"He said I was a lot like you. A force to be reckoned with, so sure about everything. What a joke, since I'm not sure about anything these days." She mutters.

"Look, I'll give him that. Most of the time, I love that we're so similar. I'm glad I gave you my blue eyes, and my caffeine addiction, and so many other wonderful qualities of mine. But we are not the same person. You have to live your own life, and make your own decisions. I know I like to chime in a bit more than necessary sometimes, but it's only because I love you so much, kid. I just want you to be happy, and that's up to you, for the most part." Lorelai shrugs.

"I just don't know what to do." She whispers.

"About Logan?" Lorelai clarifies.

Rory nods. "I knew about her, I knew he was engaged. But when we were together, nothing else seemed to matter. It's was just the two of us, like it was always supposed to be."

"So why didn't you tell him how you felt?"

"I don't know." Rory shrugs. "He's destined to have his perfect Hunztberger life, with the trophy wife that his family approves of. He shouldn't have me, the girl who wouldn't marry him and then shows up years later, making him cheat on his fiancée."

"Rory, that's total crap." Lorelai tells her. "None of that stuff with his family matters, it's you two that matter. How did he feel about all this?"

"I don't know, I never asked him." She admits. "I was the one who decided that our relationship would be about just us, only in London. Except then I started relying on him too much. And I couldn't have him all the time, because he wasn't mine."

"And you never thought to ask him how he felt about the whole situation, where he saw it leading?"

"I was too afraid." She whispers. "I set up all these rules, and they didn't work in the end. Then I said goodbye to him, and I thought that'd be it. But now I don't know what to do, if I should even tell him about the baby."

"Okay, because this is the real decision now. What are you going to do, Rory?"

"I don't know. That's why I went to Dad and asked him about when you guys were younger."

"Okay, but this is not the same situation." Lorelai reminds her. "You and Logan are not teenagers, you are grown adults. No one is forcing you to get married here. You and I have a very different relationship than I did with my parents, and I will support you no matter what. And also, I don't think Logan is like your dad. They have the money and society thing in common, but that's about it."

"So you think I should tell him?"

"I think you should do what's right. It's your decision, but I can't help thinking about Logan, since I think he has the right to know. I know how Luke still feels about the fact that Anna never told him about April, even after all these years. Things like that change people's lives."

Rory sighs. "I just wish things were different."

"You have the ability to change this, Rory." Lorelai tells her, as serious as she's ever been. "Maybe it'll work out the way you want, and maybe it won't. But you've got to at least try."

"What if he wants nothing to do with me?" Rory whispers.

"Then it'll be his decision to miss out on his child's life, and that'll hurt, but we will handle it."

"What if he picks me only because of the baby? What if he doesn't love me, but he just wants to do the right thing?"

"Well, that's a conversation that the two of you need to have. It's between you and him."

Rory sighs and nods, looking down at the bedspread again. "I just wish I could know how he'll react."

"Rory," Lorelai says suddenly, the serious tone still lacing her voice. "Do you love him?"

Her question instantly brings Rory's eyes back to hers. There's shock and apprehension in them, but her answer is clear as anything.

"Yes."

"Then fight for him." The elder Gilmore urges. "Otherwise you'll spend the rest of your life wondering 'what if', and it'll kill you. You need to do this."

Rory nods yet again, this time in acceptance. "Okay."

"Okay." Lorelai repeats. "Now, get some sleep kid. You've got a trip to make soon."

"You're right." She admits, crawling under the covers.

Lorelai moves to the head of the bed, tucking her daughter in, just as she's done countless times in their lives.

"I love you, kid."

"I love you, Mom."

Lorelai shuts the door behind her as she leaves, and Rory turns onto her side. Her mind is still racing, and there's still a gnawing feeling in her gut, but at least she's feeling more sure about what to do.

She slides one hand down to press against her still flat abdomen.

"I'll take care of us, I promise." She whispers.


	2. Chapter 2

_Ah, okay. So I have no idea if anyone still cares about this story that I published about a year and a half ago … but I'm finally updating it … I actually started writing this as soon as I published the first chapter, got writer's block, and then promptly forgot about when life got busy. I wanted to make sure this chapter was good enough to follow up the lovely reviews I got on the first chapter, but I've suddenly remembered it and I'm saying what the hell! So I'm now revisiting this idea and this one focuses purely on Logan, since I love him so much as a character, but feel that the revival didn't do him justice. While I was happy with the amount of scenes he and Rory had together, he was a very one dimensional character. We didn't get any explanation about the kind of person he is in 2016, other than his zero cares about cheating on his fiancée, which is not the Logan I know and love. This was my attempt to fill in some of the gaps that the revival did not answer, such as how he ended up back in London, getting along with his father once more, and engaged to Odette. If people are still interested then I will endeavour to write another chapter, so please let me know. I hope you like it._

/

He's an idiot.

Logan flops to the couch with a heavy sigh, a glass of scotch in his hand. Odette's words are still ringing in his ear, despite the fact that she'd left over an hour ago.

" _Do you even love me, Logan?"_

He's not even sure anymore, of anything. What has he even been doing the last year or so? How did he end up back in the family business, and let his father rope him into a basically arranged marriage?

He's tried so hard to put Rory out of his mind the last few weeks. After she'd left him in New Hampshire, he'd dropped the boys back home and returned to London. He's been going through each day since on autopilot. It hadn't taken long for Odette to notice that something was up. Now that they live together, it's harder to avoid certain conversations.

She'd caught him off guard with the question about how he felt about her. Sure, he'd been lying to her for a long time now, but it had been easier when she was in another country, when she wasn't around to question the look in his eyes, the inflection in his voice. And when she'd asked, he had realised that he was sick and tired of lying to her. This isn't him; being so cavalier towards someone he's supposed to care about. Maybe it was the old him, the pre-Rory Logan, before he'd met her the first time. It hadn't been him for a long time, although that part of him had definitely reappeared the last couple of years.

He'd moved back to London three years ago, when his father had visited him in California to 'congratulate' him on his success. Mitchum Huntzberger did not beg, but it was the closest he had ever witnessed, as the family patriarch had told his son he was proud of him. Logan had almost fallen over at those words. He'd been alone in California, throwing all of his time and energy into his work. He hadn't returned to his wild boy ways in those days, but rather had stayed away from women after Rory had rejected his proposal. So when his father had made him an offer than most sane people wouldn't refuse, he'd given in. He'd told himself that enough time had passed, and he was a stronger man now, someone who could stand up to his father when necessary. Of course, his father still had the special talent of manipulating people without them realising that's what he was doing, which is exactly how he had ended up with Odette.

They'd met at a fundraising event hosted by Mitchum, who had introduced the two because he and Odette's father were business acquaintances. She was pretty, funny, and could hold a conversation, unlike most society women his age. Most importantly, she was tall, blonde, and tan, nothing like the girlfriend he still hadn't gotten over. They'd spent the entire event together, unwilling to chat with the old fogies that his father had invited. That had led to exchanging phone numbers, which had developed into coffee dates, and dinner dates, and eventually a relationship. Everything had been fine, until his father had called him into his office one day about six months later, and handed him a box. The Huntzberger family heirloom that had been passed down for generations.

Mitchum had rambled on and on about what a wonderful wife Odette would make, how she would support him with his business ventures, and uphold the Huntzberger family image. All of it had gone over Logan's head though, as he stared at the ring that was so different from the one he'd used last time he'd proposed to a woman. The proposal that had ended with him walking through the grounds of Yale University, alone and miserable.

Even once they'd been engaged, his relationship with Odette hadn't become too difficult. She'd remained in Paris, working with her family's business, and his life had continued as usual. That is, until the day he ran into Rory Gilmore again. He still remembers it so clearly.

 _Logan smiled and laughed politely at whatever joke the older man who worked with his father had made. Being brought up as a Huntzberger had taught him how to behave in high society situations, but he didn't take any pleasure in it. He glanced at his watch discretely and excused himself from the conversation, citing an urgent phone call as his excuse._

 _A flash of brown hair caught his eye, and he did a slight double take. That couldn't be …_

 _He shook his head; sure that he was imagining things. As if Rory Gilmore would be in London. Last he heard (or read through a quick Facebook stalk) she had been working in New York after Obama's campaign trail had ended. Without realising what he was doing, he began to move closer, mimicking the woman's movements._

 _As he moved closer, his chest began to ache. The woman certainly walked like Rory, such a distinct way about her._

" _Excuse me." He murmured as he pushed past a crowd of people. As he approached her, the woman suddenly turned and he was standing right in front of her._

 _Rory._

 _Her blue eyes, just as blue as he remembered, widened before a soft smile took over her delicate features. "Hello, Logan."_

They ended up going out for a drink, and then dinner, with the promise to catch up next time she was in town, which had been sooner than he'd expected. Which had become a frequent event, which had led from one thing to another …

He sighs heavily, dragging a free hand across his face. He knows he's done the wrong thing for a long time, with very little remorse for his actions. He's always tried to compartmentalise and focus on each woman separately, as if they had no effect on each other's lives in any way. He's ashamed to think about he not only treated Odette terribly, but also tried to justify it to himself, just because he loves Rory. As if his feelings excuse his actions towards another person.

" _Do you even love me, Logan?"_

He hadn't known what to say, because the truth would be too cruel. He doesn't, not like he loves Rory. But how can he possibly say that to her face? It's always meant to be Rory. Except that it's not.

He should have fought for her. He should have left Odette sooner, should have told her the truth, explained to Rory that he wanted to be more than just friends with benefits, and "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". It'd been all or nothing nine years ago, so why had he settled for such a superficial relationship now?

Because it's Rory, and having any part of her in his life is better than nothing at all. She still amazes him and makes his heart jump, even after so many years. She is – was – the best thing in his life, and he let her go because he was a coward. Not enough of a man to stand up to his family, to be the man that Odette deserves.

Not enough of a man to tell her how he really feels, in case she rejects him again. Not enough to make a decision that will actually make him happy.

He groans aloud into the silence of his apartment, half slamming the scotch glass down on the coffee table.

A knock suddenly rings out through the apartment and Logan's brow furrows as he stares at the door in confusion. He's sure Odette hasn't returned, considering how angry she was when she left. Oh, please don't let it be his father.

He rises from the couch and heads over to the door, pulling it open without glancing through the peephole first. When he locks eyes with the person standing in front of him, all the air leaves his lungs in one fell swoop.

"Rory?"


	3. Chapter 3

_Hi there. I know this has taken forever, but I'm getting there slowly. I rewatched A Year In The Life this week and wrote this chapter. I plan to write another one or two to finish this off, though I'm not sure how long it will take. I hope you enjoy this. Please leave me a review letting me know what you think. I really appreciate it!_

/

"Rory?"

She looks him dead in the eye, but he knows her well enough to see the hints that she's nervous.

"Hey, Logan." She says softly.

Even just hearing her say his name is enough to bring him to his knees, but he summons all his strength to remain standing.

"What are you doing here?" He says, hoping he doesn't sound too clueless, even though that's exactly how he feels.

She squirms slightly on the spot. "I needed to talk to you."

"And the phone wasn't good enough?" His voice is harsher than he intends it to be and he winces inwardly, especially when her face falls.

"This isn't really an over the phone talk ..." she says, clearly uncomfortable. "Can I?"

"Yeah, sorry!" He snaps into action. It's strange that she's here but there's no way he's not letting her in.

She steps inside the doorway but pauses before entering any further.

"Is Odette here?" She asks hesitantly.

He lets out a deep sigh. "No, nothing to worry about there."

She gives a clipped nod and follows him into the living room. Logan gestures towards the couch and then sits opposite her.

They sit awkwardly in silence for a few minutes as Logan studies her. She's definitely nervous. The fact that she's barely spoken is a major tip off. Rory Gilmore is rarely silent, particularly with him.

Finally, he can't stand the silence any longer.

"So what brings you all the way here?"

She lets out a little sigh, shifts in her seat and finally fixes her eyes on his.

"I'm sorry about the way I left in you in New Hampshire but I thought it was better to end things before you got married. I couldn't keep denying what would eventually happen."

"So why are you here now then?"

"I didn't want to screw up your life again." She barrels on without answering his question.

"What are you talking about?"

"You have Odette, and I just need to -"

"Rory, Odette and I are over." He cuts her off before she can finish.

She freezes, her mouth opening slightly. "What?"

"We broke up. The wedding is off."

"Why? Oh god, Logan, did she find out about me? I am so, so sorry."

"No," he shakes his head. "It's nothing to do with you. Although I'm sure she suspects there was someone around. But the truth is once she moved in and was around all the time we realised we just don't work together. Or so she realised that I wasn't ready."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He insists. "It was the right thing to do. I can't believe the way I behaved with Odette, it wasn't fair to treat her that way. Getting married when I didn't love her wouldn't have been right."

"So why were you going to do it?" She asks softly. "You were pretty resolute about the fact last time I saw you."

He stares at her. "Are you kidding me, Rory?"

"What?"

"You never said you wanted to be with me. You never asked me to leave her."

"It wasn't my place to do that." She insists.

"You were the one who came up with the whole 'what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas' rule." He points out.

"Because I didn't want to screw everything up!"

"Well you did anyway!"

The room fills with silence as their words end with a crashing halt.

Logan takes a deep breath. "That's not fair, I'm sorry. It was my decision to keep seeing you even though I was with Odette. But you know that I've never been able to resist you, Rory. The last few years prove that we still get along as well as we ever did. I knew that we could make it work but you've always been so hesitant, jumping from country to country. I didn't know if this was what you really wanted."

"It was." She murmurs. "But I didn't think I had the right to ask you for that."

"Why not?" He asks softly, frustration leaving his tone.

"I'm the one who said no to you, Logan. I'm the one who couldn't commit because I needed to go off and have this fantastic career. A career which has been so far from what I imagined that I've humiliated myself.

"You said no to me years ago, Rory, that's ancient history. We were just kids back then." He rationalises.

"But I said no. I have no right to come back into your life years later and ask to join it again, to ask you to leave someone else for me."

"But it's alright to come back in spite of the fact that I have someone? It is just as much my fault as yours Rory, probably even more but I can't believe that I justified this to myself for so long. Did you really think this was feasible?"

"No. I always knew that one day you'd get married and this would have to end. I told myself this was temporary, even though I never wanted it to end. But when I left you last time it was because I figured it was better to do it sooner rather than later, since it was going to hurt even more the longer I left it."

"That's why you asked me if I was really going to marry Odette."

She nods. "I didn't want you to, but I knew I had no right to choose for you."

"If you have asked me to leave her, I would have. If you had told me you wanted to do this for real, it would have made my entire life." He whispers.

Rory sighs, slumping forward and covering her face with her hands.

"I'm a terrible person."

"Rory, hey." Logan stands and moves so that he's sitting beside her on couch. "Pretty sure we're both terrible at the moment, but it's ok."

"No, Logan, it's not. I can't even believe the things I have done over the last year."

"This is just as much my fault as yours, so stop blaming yourself for everything." He wraps an arm around her back, pulling her into him.

She lets herself rest against him for a minute before pulling away.

"I need to tell you something. That's why I came here, but I'm scared of what you'll say."

"Rory, what is it? You know you can tell me anything." He reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, tenderly cupping her fact with his hand.

She closes her eyes for a moment to savour the peace before she opens her eyes to look at him.

"I'm pregnant."

Everything freezes. He stares at her and she feels like the entire world stands still.

"And it's yours, just to be clear." She clarifies.

He keeps staring at her but his mouth twitches slightly, not letting a laugh break free. "Thanks for the clarification, I didn't think otherwise." He sighs heavily, taking her hands in his. "How long have you known?"

She shifts beside him. "A couple of weeks."

"Were you always going to tell me?"

"I don't know." She says honestly.

"Why?"

"I told you, I didn't want to screw your life up and affect things with Odette even more. Plus, look what happened with my parents and what happened to me as a kid. I love my mother with my whole heart but when I was a kid I wanted to have a dad at home like everyone else did. Now that I'm an adult I wonder if my mother would have made our lives easier if she'd never told him about me."

"Rory," he breathes out heavily. "We are not your parents. We're not teenagers and I'm not going to force you into anything, but I'm not going to abandon you either. You know me better than that."

"Yeah." She admits. "That's why I came. I didn't want to screw up your life, but I knew it wouldn't have been fair to you to not even tell you."

"You have never screwed up my life."

"Well this would be the thing to do it." She says, almost bitterly.

Logan turns her so they're facing each other and she has no option but to look him in the eyes.

"Rory Gilmore, I love you." He says, so seriously but tenderly at the same time.

She breaths out a soft sigh of relief. "I love you too, Logan."

He leans forward and presses his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.

"So things are definitely over with Odette?" She whispers hesitantly.

He nods firmly, leaning in to kiss her again. "One hundred percent."

She leans in, tucking herself into his chest, resting beneath his chin.

"I was worried if I told you that you'd hate me. Or even worse, leave Odette just because I'm pregnant." She confesses softly.

Logan's arms tighten. "Well Odette and I are over and we were before you even got here so that clears that up. Second of all, if you're the one asking there is absolutely no one I would choose over you. And most importantly," he pulls back so he can fix her with the most serious expression she's ever seen on him. "How could I not want a baby that's half you and half me?"

A sob bubbles up inside her, half relief and half joy. "So you're in?"

He gives her that winning Logan Huntzberger smile. Not the one the world gets to see, but the one he's always saved for her, soft eyes and a slight smirk. "You jump, I jump."

She laughs, tears building in her eyes.

"Rory, you are all I've ever wanted since we were in college. I know this is a pretty messed up situation but I know we can make it work. As long as you want to, that is."

She nods wordlessly as the tears begin to stream down her face. He pulls her back into his arms once more, pressing soft kisses to her temple and whispering soothing words in her ear. Rory lets herself melt into him and feels his presence, his full presence without the threat of someone else, fill the cracks in her heart. For a moment she allows herself to think that maybe, just maybe, everything will be okay.


End file.
